Mail loading and unloading crane



Sept. 6, 1932. e. BLUM ET AL MAIL LOADING AND UNLOADING CRANE Filed June 17, 1929 Patented Sept. 6, 1932 UNITED STATES FAT ear F F Ics-f GUS BL M ANDGEORGE FISHER, oFrAss cnnis'rrAN, mrssrssirrril j MAIL LOADING Am) UNLoAnme CRANE Application filed June 17,

This invention relates to means for transferring mail to and from trains to mail bag ing trains without damaging mail sacks in any respect.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is an elevation illustrating the application of the invention to a track-side post and the side of a mail oar. o

Figure 2 is a similar elevation illustrating *carries aspring clip member 16'in whichis loosely positioned a ring member 17 havinga- T1 the mechanism as mounted on a mail car.

Figure 3 1s a top plan vlew of the track- 1 sid mechanism.

' track-side post and the other of which is Figure 4: is a top plan view of the car mounted mechanism.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevation of an element employed on the crane structure.

Figures 6, 7, and 8 are elevations of structural details forming a part of the msm.

The invention broadly comprises a pair of mail cranes one of which is located on a mounted at the side of a mail car door, the

cranes being substantially of counter-part link 13 loosely onthe crane a'rmfand maintain in suspended relation the :ringmember 17 which isengagedfby spring clip 15 rigidly construction and arranged in oppositely mounted position. In detail the invention as illustrated comprises a track-side post 18 which has secured thereto in vertically spaced relation a pair of lateral brackets 8 anchored to the post by means of the bolts 21. These brackets provide vertical bearings for a verti-' wheel 1 which is journalle'd' transverselycally disposed shaft 9 bent laterally at its lower end to form a crane arm which extends in the direction of the track;

At its upper end the shaft 9 carries a pinion V 5 which is in meshwith a similar beveled pinion 5 carried by the shaft 6 ofa hand through the post 18, bearing plates 4: serving to hold the shaft 6 in position and being anchored by means of the tie bolts 3 passed transversely through the bearing plates and post. A spring finger 2 having oneend anchored to the post 18 is adapted for fric-- ti-onal engagement with the hub of the hand wheel 1 and this spring finger serves not mecha- V 192a Serial nol'fer'nese.

ment 10 and having secured to its outer-end r "a cross bar 11- adapted to extend parallel to a "track way and at the outer *end of which aIfBlC-h';

upstanding pins 12.

i only to hold the crane in' adjusted pdsitiori Above the upper bracket 8 the shaft' At the bottom of the shaft 9 the crane-arm formed by the lateral extension of the shaft link 13 supportingthesame in depending relation from the tip of the crane arimsaidlink 13 being held in engagement with the tipof the crane arm by-the vertical frictional bear- 1 g pringclip 14C. 1; Y i

On the car door frame 19 a secondpa'ir vertically spaced brackets 5:8 mounted; and

these brackets form'vertical bearings'for the vertical shaft 23 which isiden'tica'l in con extended from the upper end: thereof having aspring clip which-servesto hold the secured to the sh aft 23;

"struction'with the shaft Q'xcept that'in this 7. 3 "instance the crane; arm portion ofv-shaft 23'is At its lower end the shaft 28 has operative 7 connection through the beveled pinions 5 with the shaft 6 of the hand wheel 1 jour-w V nalled through, the'door frame and having a structural disposition and mounting which is identical with respect to details to the hand;

wheel 1 previously described as mounted on the track-side post 18. 7

Extending from thelower end of the shaft 23 is a perpendicular arm 7 having a cushion 10 and carrying at its outer end a cross arm 11 provided adjacent each end with upstanding pins 12.

' i In the proper disposition of the elements as indicated in Figures 1 and 2 the cross arms 11are disposed in parallel vertically spaced relation and occupy acommon vertical. plane. In practice a mail bag,'not shown issusp'end-j ed from the upper ring element 17 and a second mail bag, not shown, is suspended from the track-side ring 17. As the train approaches the track-side element the upper ring 17 will be caught and held suspended from the track-side mounted arm 7 while at the same time the ring 17 carried by the trackside crane will be caught and held suspended over the arm 7 of the main car crane, thus effecting a simultaneous transfer of the suspended mail bags.

While in this embodiment we have illustrated and described certain structural details entering into the construction and operation, we desire it to be understood that such details do not constitute limitations, but that any desired changes and modifications may be made therein as will fall within the scope of s the invention as claimed. go We claim:

1. Mail transfer mechanism comprising in combination, a track-side crane, a car carried crane, said cranes being reversed with respect to one another, means for suspending a mail bag by one end from each of said cranes,

means on each of said cranes for engaging the suspended mail bag carried by the other crane in a simultaneous transfer, and manually operable means for moving said cranes into mail bag transfer position.

2. A mail bag transfer comprising in combination a track-side post, a crane supported by said post to swing across a track, said crane having a vertically arranged shank and a laterally extending hook portion on its lower end, a grab arm secured to said shank at its opposite endin parallel spaced relation with 7 respect to said hook portion, a train carried crane of counterpart formation with respect 40 to said track-side crane and arranged in reverse relation with respect thereto to dispose its hooked end portion above the grab arm of the track-side crane, and means for suspending mail bags from the hooked end portions of said cranes. Y

GUS BLUM. GEQRGE FISHER. 

